


Accidentally in Love

by hammerfistninja



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Genderfluid Blake, Other, Trans Girl Ruby, Trans Guy Sun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-24
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-01-26 07:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1680482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hammerfistninja/pseuds/hammerfistninja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you accidentally grope a stranger and there is nothing you can do except make the best of the situation at hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Touch

If it weren’t for her unnecessary shame, none of this would’ve happened. Or at least that’s what Blake told herself. She was in her usual haunt, the bookstore, eyes skimming over the pages of the book in her hands. There was a wall full of fantasy novels in front of her and a bookshelf stuffed with erotica at her back. She tried to pretend that the book in her hands hadn’t been stealthily plucked from the shelf behind her, even though the bookstore was mostly empty right now. The muffled sound of bustling conversation from the coffee shop next door made her tap her foot anxiously. She closed the book and looked at the price tag on the back, humming in disappointment.

Books were so expensive these days.

She huffed, paranoia making her blood pound in her ears and drowning out the sound of approaching footsteps. Blake turned to put the book back and walked right into another person, hand brushing against something warm. Colour flared to her cheeks as she realized far too late that she had touched this woman’s chest by accident.

The book tumbled from her hand. “S-sorry!”

“It’s cool,” the woman said.

Tall, blond, and busty were the first three words that came to mind when Blake took her in. She had a wide, contagious smile and a pair of aviators resting on her head even though it was overcast outside. Her crossed arms accentuated her… assets and Blake actually had to put in some effort to keep from staring. The blonde shot her an amused look and Blake’s cheeks burned brighter than before.

“You dropped your book,” she said.

Blake chewed at her lip and picked the paperback off the carpeted floor. “My bad.” Her fingers felt awkward and heavy, trembling even. The fact that she’d accidentally groped a stranger weighed heavily on her. “I really didn’t mean to--I mean, I wasn’t trying to…” Blake sighed and inhaled deeply. “Sorry I… you know.”

The blonde shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Next time, just remember to buy me dinner first.”

The statement made Blake perk up a little. Even though she was thoroughly mortified by the whole situation, the statement left an opening for her to regain some footing. “Next time?” Blake wondered aloud, looking towards the blonde as she slid the book back in its shelf.

The blonde reacted so wonderfully that Blake almost grinned smugly. She flushed, averting her gaze, mouth opening and closing soundlessly, reminding Blake of a guppy. The blonde cleared her throat but still no words came. She shifted on her feet, dragging her toes across the carpet, and big into her bottom lip. Pink seared across her cheeks and Blake could feel the tickling sensation of a chuckle worming its way up her throat.

This was almost too adorable to watch. Blake decided to show a little mercy on the woman. “You wanna get some coffee?” she said, unable to keep the smug grin off her face. “The place next door makes a mean latte.”

The blonde’s head snapped up to face her, eyes wide. “I, uh.” She rubbed at the back of her neck. “Sure,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “I’m Yang, by the way.”

“Blake.”

They shook hands. Yang’s palm was firm and warm and Blake was ashamed that even that small amount of skin to skin contact was enough to send a spark shooting through her nervous system. Their hands slipped apart and Blake tried not to let her touch linger.

The coffee shop was connected to the bookstore and had an internal entrance. Yang bumped up against her, arm on arm, and grinned, flashing her teeth. “So, do you take every person you accidentally grope out for coffee?”  
Blake flushed but her tongue was quicker and sharper than her embarrassment. “Well, since you’re the only person I’ve accidentally groped, I’m afraid my answer is yes.”

Not long later, they were seated at a small, round table, drinks in hand. Blake sipped delicately at her green tea latte. The drink was still too hot to properly enjoy without scalding her tongue. Slouching forward, she rested her arms on the table, cupping her steaming drink with both hands. Foiling her somewhat closed posture, Yang sat in her chair, legs sprawled out to the side and arm thrown over the back. Despite the cold autumn weather, Yang had ordered an iced cappuccino, and the drink sat in front of her, clear plastic starting to sweat.

“Isn’t it a bit cold for an iced capp?”

Yang shrugged. “No?” She was wearing a t-shirt and skinny jeans and had no extra layers to keep out the cold. “Besides, I’m always hot.”

The chatty group in the corner almost drown out Yang’s comment, but Blake still heard. One of her eyebrows shot up at the double entendre. “Was that supposed to make me laugh?”  
Yang looked away and drank noisily, sucking at her straw so she didn’t have to respond. The faint flush on her cheeks soothed something inside Blake. She shook her head and took another sip of her drink, hissing as she discovered it was still too hot.

“Dang, you’re a tough nut to crack,” Yang finally said, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the glass table.

The conversation seemed to sinking fast, and Yang was desperately looking for something to keep it afloat. “So, you come here often?”

“To the bookstore of the coffee shop?”

“The bookstore.”

Blake shrugged and rotated the cup in her hands, waiting for it to cool off before she drank any more of it. That was one benefit of having a cold drink, she ruminated, Yang didn’t have to wait for her drink to cool down. She mulled over her answer, almost embarrassed to say it. “I guess you could say I’m a regular of sorts.”

The grin that spread across Yang’s face made Blake regret her words, though she wasn’t sure why. “So you read a lot of erotica, then, hmm?”

The green tea latte in her hands suddenly became the most interesting thing in the room. She took a long sip from it, ignoring how it scalded her tongue because at least now the inside of her mouth was the same temperature as her cheeks - burning red. She set her cup down again, ignoring Yang’s shit-eating grin. As the embarrassment faded, indignance reared its head. “I prefer science-fiction, actually,” she said.

“Well, that explains why you were skimming through a smutty noir novel,” Yang said, sarcasm palpable.

The way Blake shrank in her seat made her want to smile, but she hid it by taking another long drink from her iced capp, wincing as the cold seeped into her brain. She slammed her drink down on the table and swore, bowing her head as lancing pains danced over her skull.

“Brain freeze?” Blake asked, a bit too smug.

“No,” Yang denied petulantly, hand rubbing firmly against the sore spots on her head. “Shut up.”

x-x-x-x-x

After they finished their coffee date, Yang had let Blake walk her home. A bag from the bookstore hung on Yang’s arm - they’d had to go back and get a book for Yang’s sister, Ruby.

Blake felt relaxed, not something she usually felt around people she’d just met. The weather had gotten colder since she’d gone to the bookstore and autumn breeze had her flipping up the collar of her peacoat and fluffing the purple scarf around her neck to keep the chill out. Yang, on the other hand, didn’t look perturbed at all by the drop in temperature even though her bare arms were exposed to the elements. (They were very nice arms, Blake could admit.)

The sidewalk sped under them like a moving track and Blake was incredibly amused when she realized Yang was avoiding stepping on the cracks in the pavement, making some of her strides shorter or longer to ensure her boots never touched a single line. This was all going too quickly. Blake desperately wished for more time, or hoped that Yang’s house was farther away.

“That’s it right there,” Yang murmured, pointing out an old two-story house, pale yellow in colour. There was a white picket fence around the small yard in front. “Kinda cheesy but I love it. Used to belong to my parents.”

“It’s nice,” Blake said, thinking about the crappy apartment she with two other people downtown.

“Ya think so?” The smile that spread across Yang’s face was brilliant. Blake could tell that she really loved the place, despite it’s somewhat cliché appearance. She wondered how often others teased her about it.

“Yeah, I’d love to live in a house like that.”

They slowed at the gate and Yang unhooked the latch with less than nimble fingers, muttering curses as she struggled. Blake followed her up the steps and stopped on the porch, stuffing her hands in her pocket as Yang turned to face her with flushed cheeks.

“So,” she said, dragging out the word. “I guess this is it, huh?”

Blake stared down at the wood porch, watching Yang rock on her feet in front of her. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Silence weighed down on them for several moments, and the longer Blake stood there, the more awkward she felt. But it would be rude to turn and leave before Yang entered her home. She looked up when Yang sighed heavily. Yang had her hands stuffed in her pockets, too, and she was staring off to the side, heat crawling up her freckled cheeks and dusting the tips of her ears. “Look, Blake,” she said, throat bobbing nervously. “I know we only met a few hours ago but I really, really want to kiss you.”

Blake’s knees trembled and she suddenly felt a little too hot in all her layers. “Uh, okay,” she murmured.

The porch creaked as Yang stepped towards her door. She coughed awkwardly as she twisted the knob. “Yeah, so, just thought you should know ‘n’ all.”

Blake caught her wrist before she could step inside. Her tongue outpaced the part of her brain that tried to make her stumble and trip up with self-doubt, and for once she was grateful of that. “No, I mean, it’s okay if you want to kiss me.”

Yang turned towards her, face slightly scrunched in confusion. “Wait, do you mean you want me to--”

Blake surged forward in rush confidence, pressing her lips to Yang’s. Her hand cupped the back of Yang’s neck and there was an awkward moment where Yang stepped on her toe but the kiss was soft and warm. They pulled back, giggling, after their noses bumped against each other, and Yang rested her hands on Blake’s hips.

“So that was a thing,” she whispered.

“A good thing?” Blake asked hopefully.

“A very good thing.”

Neither could keep away their euphoric smiled as they stood, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Blake nuzzled into Yang’s neck and sighed when the blonde pressed a kiss to her crown, arms linked behind her waist.

“You know this doesn’t count as a dinner date, right?” Yang teased softly.

Blake snorted and buried herself further into Yang’s embrace. Her lips curved up into a devastating smirk that, if Yang had been able to see it, would’ve made Yang’s heart skip a beat. “Oh, I know,” she said.

They stood like that for a bit, swaying tenderly and just enjoying the warmth of the other, eyes closed to the outside world. Yang pressed another kiss to the top of Blake’s head. “So, I take it you want to ask me for dinner this time?”

“Mmm,” Blake hummed against her throat, making her shiver. “That depends,” she said coyly. “Do you want me to touch your boob again?”

The question took her by surprise somewhat. She would have to remember that Blake would give as hard as she got, even when it came to a little verbal teasing. Yang liked that, and she, embarrassingly enough, also had to concede that she’d lost this round. Blake pulled back to stare her in the face and Yang had to avert her eyes, anticipating the smug grin that would follow. “...Dinner it is,” she said.

Just as predicted, Blake grinned. “Dinner it is,” she repeated.


	2. The First Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of Blake and Yang's promised dinner date is finally here, but things don't go as planned.

Darkness was setting in earlier and earlier, and the chill in the air was dropping closer and closer to freezing with each passing week, a clear sign of winter’s approach. To anyone else, it might look like Yang was entirely unaware of this fact, though, because her arms were bared to the night air and not a patch of gooseflesh was present. Yang had considered wearing her jacket but decided it still wasn’t quite cold enough outside. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans and kept walking towards Blake’s apartment - gait off-tempo as nervousness made her bounce.

Yang couldn’t stop the excitement from making her heart hammer in her chest, either. Even though they’d had two more dates since their chance meeting a few weeks ago, now was the time of their promised dinner date. Truth be told, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this exhilarated for a dinner date, but she sure as hell didn’t want the good feeling to stop.

So excited she was almost shaking, she tripped up the front steps to Blake’s apartment building and caught herself (and her breath) in front of the intercom panel. She let her head rest on it andtried to calm herself into a slightly more presentable state. The sound of buzzing made her recoil and she realized she’d accidentally buzzed someone with her forehead. 

An elderly voice filtered through the speaker. “Hello?”

“Sorry!” Yang said. “Pushed the wrong button.”

Heavy mumbling and the click of the call being disconnected eased a sigh of relief from her lips. After making sure there weren’t any buttons there that she could accidentally press, she fell heavily against the wall next to her and wiped her hand over her face.

“Keep it together, Yang,” she said. “You’ve been on dates with Blake before.”

But there was something so… official about a dinner date. More official than a warm conversation over coffee (or tea!) at the coffee shop. More official than those few impulsive kisses that first day. More official than two hours in a movie theatre, holding hands and laughing at a shitty grindhouse flick.

Yang exhaled heavily, dug Blake’s address from her pocket and examined the crumpled strip of paper again, even though she had memorized the whole thing days ago. She jabbed the correct button with her thumb and waited.

The short moments of silence that followed stretched on for what felt like an eternity to Yang.

“Yang?” Blake’s voice came through the intercom with a thin layer of static.

“Yeah.” The word came out so fast Yang almost choked on it. She shoved her hands in her pockets again and rocked on the balls of her feet. “It’s me.”

“Come right up. I’m almost ready.”

Blake buzzed her in and Yang tried to play it casual but she still stumbled over her feet as she pushed open the front door and almost ran to the stairwell. She took the steps two, sometimes three at a time, tripping more than once and having to catch herself on her palms. The hallway on the third floor was empty when she entered, her footsteps getting faster and faster the closer she got until she was twelve feet away and she forced herself to walk like a fucking normal person. The last thing she wanted to do was scare Blake away by being a creep.

She swallowed as she approached the door and knocked. Though her knock was what she would consider tentative, it still sounded like someone slamming a rock against the wood.

Heavy footsteps thudded inside and the door clicked before swinging open, revealing a shirtless blond man who was definitely not Blake. He was fit, really fit, with sideburns so thick they were almost mutton chops, and tattoos covering his arms and shoulders. Yang gaped for a moment, confused. She was at the right door, wasn’t she?

“You Yang?” he asked.

Okay, now she was even more confused. All she could do was nod dumbly. “Yeah.”

“Cool, just a sec.” He turned and shouted into the apartment. “Blake, your date’s here!” He turned back to Yang and grinned toothily. “I’m Sun, Blake’s flatmate.” He offered his hand to her, seemingly unaware of the fact that he was shirtless.

“Uh, Yang, but you already knew that.”

Sun shook her hand enthusiastically before a door shut inside the apartment. Heels clicked on the hardwood and Blake appeared at the end of the hallway. “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

Sun released the handshake, looking at Blake over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. “What are you talking about? I’m totally--” He fell silent as he looked down at his bare torso. When he looked back up, his face was twisted with horror and he stared wide-eyed at Yang. “Oh god, you probably thought, ‘cause I answered the door and I wasn’t--” he gestured to his shirtlessness. “I’m gonna go throw myself out the window now.”

Sun rushed back into the apartment, almost crashing into Blake in the narrow hallway. She let out a huff of amusement, calling out “Don’t hurt yourself on the way down” as she watched him disappear around the corner before turning to Yang, eyes bright and clearly trying not to smile too widely.

“Hi.”

Yang couldn’t help the goofy grin that stretched her lips. “Hi.”

Blake hung on the doorframe for a moment as they both just stared, taking each other in, mouths dry and palms sweating, each awkwardly mulling over potential dialogue in their head.

“Ready for this?”

“You have no idea.”

Blake shut the door behind her and reached for Yang’s offered hand. She tugged before they started walking, though, spinning the blonde to face her. “One more thing before we go,” she murmured, stepping into Yang and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

Embarrassingly, Yang was a bit startled at first. This was their first proper kiss since the first day, where they’d admittedly jumped the gun a bit. It took a moment, but she hummed appreciatively and wrapped her arms around Blake’s waist. She smiled wide when they pulled apart, rubbing their noses together and making herself giggle when Blake huffed, warm breath tickling Yang’s chin. “Been a while.” Yang’s lips brushed against Blake’s as she spoke, voice soft and low.

“Only a bit,” Blake agreed, voice just as soft.

Neither of them were referring to the kissing. Conflicting hours at work had made it so they couldn’t schedule their promised dinner date until now, but they had managed to see each other a couple times in the weeks that had passed. Last week they’d went to a matinee and watched a truly horrendous movie, so bad they’d laughed the entire time only to go back to the coffee shop and complain about it over their drinks until some of the other customer’s complained. The week before that, a lunch in the park cut short by a sudden downpour had running to Yang’s for shelter. They’d cuddled together on the couch, Blake wearing some of Yang’s clothes while hers were being dried, while they watched old black and white movies.

Blake remembered, after one movie in particular, Yang had turned a kiss to her temple, grinning. “You know, you’d make a good ‘40s noir detective. You’ve got that gloomy, smoky air about you.”

She’d huffed at that and asked if Yang was calling her old-fashioned. The memory was enough to bring a soft look of annoyance on her face in the present, making Yang pause. “What are you thinking about?” she murmured against Blake’s cheek.

“I was just thinking about how you called me old-fashioned.” Blake punctuated her remark with a stiff but friendly jab to the side.

“Well, you kinda are,” Yang said, not even flinching at the contact. “But in a charming sort of way.”

Blake swallowed her rebuke, deciding that perhaps it was just better to take the compliment on this one. She had to admit that Yang did have a bit of a point in her observation.

“You can’t argue because you know I’m right,” Yang taunted.

Blake just shook her head. “Let’s go you.”

Yang beamed and started pulling them down the hallway towards the stairwell, slowing slightly so Blake could match her long-legged stride. “Will you tell me where you’re taking me? I know you said it wasn’t anywhere fancy, but I’m curious.” And she’d become very aware in these last few moments that, compared to Blake, she was somewhat underdressed.

“Patience is not one of your virtues, is it?”

No comment on the state of her clothing, though Yang supposed that she hadn’t approached the topic directly so that was to be expected. Either that, or there wasn’t an issue - which was a far more likely an answer now that she thought about it. If there had been a problem, Blake definitely would’ve said something - that was one thing she knew - so maybe she was just feeling underdressed and nothing more. She exhaled, chuckling nervously. “What ever gave you that idea?”

Blake rolled her eyes, making Yang chuckle for real this time before the moment was shattered by the cacophonous ringtone of Yang’s phone. Yang had the decency to look embarrassed as she pulled her cell from her pocket and checked the caller ID. “I gotta take this,” she said, swiping her thumb over the screen to answer the call.

Blake waited patiently as Yang slowly separated from her and stepped away to give herself some privacy.

“Hey,” she answered. There as a long pause while the other person talked, and Yang’s face drew into a frown. “What about--”

More silence and the frown deepened. Blake felt something unpleasant slight into her gut when Yang glanced guiltily back at her. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she said. “Yeah, see ya.”

She hung up and scratched at her cheek, sparing Blake a guilty glance. Blake knew what that meant and she didn’t want to voice it, but ignoring it wouldn’t help either, so she spoke. “You have to leave.”

“Yeah.” Yang rubbed her arm, other hand stuffed in her pocket with her phone. Her shoulders were hunched. “Family thing. My sister--”

Blake held up her hands, palms open placatingly. “It’s okay,” she said. “Do what you have to do.”

Yang sighed in frustration. She looked up at Blake apologetically. “Sorry. We didn’t even make it out of the apartment building.” She couldn’t believe this. She hoped Blake would understand but she didn’t want to be too hard on herself.

Thankfully, Blake wasn’t taking this too hard. “It’s fine. Sun will at least get a laugh out of this when I go to the apartment.”

Yang winced. Sun really wasn’t going to tease her about this, was he? Then again, she knew next to nothing about the man other than the fact that he was Blake’s flatmate. Besides, Blake wouldn’t let him tease her too badly, would she? 

“Don’t let him give you too hard a time.” Yang moved towards Blake as she spoke, closing the distance between them with slow steps, hands reaching to touch.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. He’ll just make a few catty remarks and I’ll kick his butt in video games for a few hours.”

Yang snorted and looked down at the ground, hands cupping Blake’s waist. “Guess we gotta reschedule, then?”

“It does look that way.” Blake knew they had to part, that Yang had to leave, but she put her hands on Yang’s arms anyway, thumbs stroking the bare skin.

Yang was reluctant to let go, too, and rested her head on Blake’s shoulder. “You have tomorrow off?”

“No, but I’m working the closing shift, so I’ll have the morning off.” Blake stepped into her, embracing her warmly.

Yang shifted so her chin rested on Blake’s shoulder. Her hands squeezed affectionately and she pursed her lips in thought. “We could meet for breakfast or something. I know it’s not dinner, but…”

Yang trailed off, both falling silent as they tried to find a solution to their problem.

“How long is this family thing going to be?”

“Uh, a couple of hours maybe?” Yang was somewhat taken aback by the question, unsure of how it correlated to their future plans.

“We could go for a walk tonight, when you get back - if you’re up for it.”

A walk? Tonight? It was a bit unorthodox in terms of a date, but Yang had never been for traditional dates of any kind, and the more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. A late night stroll was intimate and seemed like a perfect outing for the two of them. Still, all that all depended on how long it took to pick up Ruby and see if she needed anything.

“I’ll call you when I get back and we’ll see.”

“Okay.”

One last kiss, Blake’s thumbs stroking her cheeks before Yang pulled away with a sheepish smile. “I should go.”

Blake watched as Yang hurried down the stairs, listening to her footsteps echoing loudly below until she heard the front entrance open and close and everything fell silent once more. She sighed, rooted to the floor for a moment as she took everything. Climbing back upstairs with heavy steps, she reached her floor wondering what sort of teasing Sun was going to enact upon her when came back to the apartment, mere minutes after she’d left. She knew he’d never be harsh, but that didn’t make her any less reluctant to step back inside.

“Back already?” Sun called. He heard the locks click into place and then the telltale rattle of the chain. “Did you scare her off with your terrible social skills and those weird faces you make?”

He emerged from the kitchen, opening a bottle of beer with his teeth, and paused when saw Blake. Perhaps her disappointment was more evident on her face than she thought, or perhaps he realized how important this was to her, because he suddenly looked concerned.

He didn’t voice his concern, though, and for that Blake was grateful.

“Something came up,” Blake said softly, tugging off her heels and slipping out of her jacket. “A family thing. She had to go but we’re rescheduling.”

Sun nodded, finally tearing off the bottle cap with his teeth and making Blake cringe. How anyone could do that to their own teeth, Blake didn’t know. She wondered how he hadn’t cracked a tooth yet. Sun took a swig and swallowed with a sigh, watching Blake thoughtfully. “Wanna kick my ass in Call of Duty?”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, already feeling her bad mood disappear. “Sure.”

He grinned so widely that Blake thought his face would crack. She didn’t think she’d ever seen someone so euphoric at the prospect of getting their ass kicked.

“You go get yourself a drink,” he said. “I’ll set everything up!”

Blake shook her head as her energetic flatmate practically bounced into the living room, cleaning off the cluttered coffee table with one dramatic sweep of his arm before booting up the gaming console. She slipped into the kitchen, ignoring the case of beer on the counter - it wouldn’t be a good idea to get buzzed if she was going to see Yang later tonight - and filled the kettle with water. Switching it on, she wandered back out into the living room and flopped on the couch next to Sun, accepting the controller he held out to her.

She spared him once last glance before the match started. “You are so going down, sideburns.”

x-x-x-x-x

The drive to the college wasn’t too long, about forty minutes, but Yang spent the entire time drumming her fingers on the steering wheel and trying not to go too much over the speed limit. Her left leg was bouncing as she pulled into the parking lot, quickly spotting her sister standing outside the front of the building, sheltered by the massive awning above.

Ruby jogged over even before Yang had stopped the car, getting to the vehicle just as Yang put on the parking brake. She slid into the passenger’s side and chucked her bookbag to the backseat, cheeks, nose, and ears all bright red from the cold. She turned to Yang. “Sorry. I got distracted talking to the professor about one of my assignments and missed the bus.”

“It’s okay, Ruby.” Yang assured. And really it was, there was rarely someone that Ruby couldn’t get along with - hell, her self-proclaimed worst enemy in high school had turned out to be her best and closest friend - but it was always nice to hear that she was getting along with her instructors. Still, Yang glanced at her sister, looking for anything out of place, any sign of distress or sadness. “No one bothered you or anything?”

Ruby crossed her arms, shrugging away Yang’s hand when she tried to fixed the crooked collar of her jacket. “No, no one bothered me. I just missed the bus. I told you.”

Yang frowned. Ruby had a bad habit of keeping things to herself, especially when she felt it might be bothersome to others. Over the years, she’d gotten better at admitting to when she had a problem, but Yang still kept a close eye. Finding nothing out of place, Yang sighed and tried to ease the pointless anxiety thrumming in her chest. “Sorry. I wasn’t doubting your words. Y’know I just worry about you, Rubes.”

Knowing that Ruby was okay made it easier to focus on driving, though it took a few minutes to get going because Ruby initially forgot to put her seatbelt on and didn’t understand Yang’s strange eyebrow waggles as a form of communication. “Your seatbelt, sis.”

“Oh!”

Buckled in and on the road, Yang voiced another question. “Why couldn’t Jaune give you a ride home? Doesn’t his class get out after yours?”

Ruby snorted and choked back laughter, muttering something about it being “terrible” and she “shouldn’t laugh.” “He wasn’t at class,” she explained. “Apparently he broke his leg trying to impress a jogger.”

Yang laughed, too, but quickly stifled it, staying concentrated on the road. A sudden thought silenced her completely. “Wait, that jogger wouldn’t happen to be that nice, quirky girl he was asking for advice about, would it?”

“The same.”

Yang winced. She wanted to hide her face in secondhand embarrassment and punch the shit-eating grin off her sister’s face at the same time. Instead, her knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “I know I told him to break a leg, but I didn’t mean it literally.”

Ruby giggled. “I don’t think he did it on purpose, Yang.”

Yang relaxed her grip and sighed, eyes following the painted lines on the road as they were illuminated by the car’s headlights. “If you say so.”

She took the exit ramp onto the highway, wondering if she should turn on the radio to fill the silence now that their conversation had ended. Her fingers were resting on the knob for the volume when Ruby spoke.

“You had plans tonight, didn’t you?”

“Don’t worry about it. It was just a date and we rescheduled. That’s all.”

“Oh? A date? Is it that Blake girl you’ve been talking about? You know, you never did tell me how you met.”

“I met her at a bookstore.”

Yang knew what was coming before Ruby even opened her mouth, the tell-tale smirk was warning enough. “You went to a bookstore? On your own accord? No one made you go there?”

“Shut up.”

Ruby snorted and relaxed in her seat, stretching out her legs. “So, what’s Blake like? I don’t think you’ve ever actually told me about her.”

Yang’s cheeks burned red. “She’s… nice. She seems quiet at first but she’s really smart and stuff. She’s sassy. I don’t really know how to describe her. All I know is I really like her, okay?”

Even though it was dark out, only dimly lit by their headlights and sometimes brightly lit by the headlights of passing cars, Ruby could still see her sister flustered and fumbling for words. She giggled. “Will I get to meet her?”

Yang chuckled nervously, thumbs drumming on the steering wheel as she shifted in her seat. “We’ve only known each other a few weeks, sis, I don’t want to rush anything and scare her away.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “I meant later, y’know, if things go well.”

Yang’s heart fluttered at Ruby’s words. It seemed crazy to think about things going well so early in the relationship but Yang really did hope that would be the case. Her left leg started bouncing again, unable to keep still. “I don’t wanna jinx it, but yeah, if things go well.”

“Awesome.”

Ruby giggled and bounced excitedly in her seat, singing. “Yang’s got a girlfriend.”

“Stop bouncing around in my car, ya dweeb.”

“I’m not a dweeb - you’re a dweeb!”

x-x-x-x-x

Yang parked the car in their driveway, watching as Ruby unbuckled and strained around seat to get her bag from the back, almost tumbling into the backseat herself. She snorted and got out of the car - the night air was surprisingly cold as it rushed over her bare skin, so she headed for the house to get her jacket before going to meet up with Blake.

Ruby thumped up the stairs on to the front porch while Yang slammed the car door shut and locked it, blood coursing through her veins as the sugar spike of her energy drink - picked up at a gas station on the way back, where she’d also called Blake to reconfirm tonight’s outing - and she crumpled the empty can in her hand, heading towards the front door that Ruby had left open.

She jogged up the steps and into the house, almost tripping over Ruby’s bookbag that had been thoughtlessly discarded just inside, next to her shoes, and grabbed her nice leather jacket (the one without any blood on it) from the coat rack after tossing her empty can across the room and into the trash can in the kitchen with a satisfying clink.

“Three points,” she cheered quietly, shrugging on her jacket.

Ruby came down the stairs from her room, already in her pajamas. She paused when she noticed Yang was getting ready to go again. “Leaving already?”

“Yeah.”

Ruby smirked wickedly. “Okay then, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Yang snorted. “You say that like you don’t do nothing all the time.”

She raced out of the house, laughing, as Ruby chased her to the door, cheeks puffed up indignantly. “That’s not true, Yang, I do lots of stuff!”

Yang just kept laughing, head shaking and shoulders hunched as she walked backwards down the street, towards the park. She waved at her sister. “I’ll be back later but you better be asleep by then!”

Ruby didn’t respond verbally to the jab, but Yang could see her roll her eyes rather dramatically. “Don’t have too much fun,” she shouted back before she closed the door.

Even from this distance, Yang could hear Ruby set the large, rattling lock into place. Letting out one last breath of amusement, Yang spun on her feet and picked up her pace towards the park. Rubbing her hands together to the quell the anxiety twisting her gut, Yang felt strangely aware of the silence provided by the night. She breathed into a cupped palm to make sure her breath didn’t smell terrible and double checked that her leather jacket smelled fresh and not like sweat and motor oil.

The park wasn’t too far away, closer to Yang’s house than Blake’s and Yang hoped that Blake hadn’t had any trouble on her walk there. Blake didn’t seem to deal with people all that well.

The street lamps that lined the outside of the park lit the sidewalk with a hard orange glow. She could just make out the silhouette of Blake waiting near the park entrance. Jogging to bridge the last bit of distance between them, she almost stumbled over the curb, blushing when she heard Blake giggle - well, giggle wasn’t quite the right word. Blake didn’t giggle the way most people did, hers was… deeper, more throaty, almost a chuckle but not.

She was dressed warmly, dark gray peacoat and purple scarf, slim black jeans and her usual heeled boots. Yang stopped in front of her girlfriend--she stiffened a bit, surprised by her own thoughts. Was it appropriate to use girlfriend already? Ruby had called her Blake her girlfriend, but they hadn’t actually made anything official.

She’d have to ask about it later.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Blake bumped their cold noses together and Yang huffed, breath misting in the cold.

Their gazes flickered to each other, darting between lips and eyes. Yang kissed Blake tentatively, savouring her cold, dry lips and soft flutter of long lashes that she could just barely feel against her cheek. Parting with a satisfied sigh, Yang hooked her fingers around Blake’s hands, thumbs stroking over her freezing fingers. “Sorry again about dinner,” Yang murmured. “Also, your fingers are like ice cubes, what the hell.”

Blake rolled her eyes and brought a hand up to brush some of the blonde’s wild hair from her face. “Don’t worry about dinner. I understand.”

She slid her arm around Yang’s and tugged her into the park. Strolling through the park in the middle of the night was probably not the smartest idea but it was actually very peaceful. The moon was waxing, close to full, and helped illuminated what wasn’t touched by the light of the far off streetlamps. The grass was slick with dew underfoot, not quite cold enough to be frost just yet. Blake, even in her coat, shivered and Yang pulled her into her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“So, what was the family thing?” Blake rested her head on Yang’s shoulder, smiling when she felt a quick kiss pressed to her crown.

“My sister takes a night class in the next town over, but she missed the last bus coming back, so I had to go pick her up.”

“Sister, huh? Younger or older?” Blake was intrigued, she’d been to Yang’s house before but she couldn’t remember it looking like someone else lived there.

“Younger.”

Blake cuddled closer. “Will I get to meet her?”

This question again, though from Blake this time, and it got the same reaction as last time, a nervous chuckle. “Soon, but I, uh, don’t wanna jinx anything, y’know?”

Blake hummed in affirmation, letting the conversation die so they could fall back into silence, just enjoying each other’s warmth. The soft clicks of Blake’s heels on the stone path were almost drowned out by the dull thuds of Yang’s boots. 

Yang glanced over at Blake, relieved to find her smiling softly. Sometimes Yang worried about the lack of conversation between them, but Blake never seemed to mind. To be honest, Yang wasn’t one to fill up silences either - she preferred listening over talking - and there was something almost intimate about sharing silence with someone else. She felt almost bad about breaking the silence, but there was something she had to voice.

“Blake?”

“Hmm?”

“I know we’re seeing each other and stuff but I just wanted to ask: are we girlfriends? Like, can I call you that?”

“...Okay.”

That wasn’t the kind of response Yang had wanted. “You, uh, don’t sound very sure.”

“I was just surprised that you asked.” There were other reasons Blake was hesitant to accept the title ‘girlfriend’ but she wasn’t ready to talk about those reasons just yet. And girlfriend really was okay, for now.

Feeling like she’d just stuck her foot in her mouth, Yang sucked at her teeth, trying to think of some way to lighten the mood. Blake was still tucked under her arm and hadn’t moved away, so at least there was that. A low growl derailed Yang’s train of thought and it wasn’t until Blake giggled that she realized the noise had come from her stomach. A few moments of stunned silence on Yang’s part passed before she pressed her hands to her heated cheeks, making Blake pull away and shriek with laughter.

Blake wiped at her eyes and glanced at her embarrassed girlfriend (the word felt odd, not quite right, on her tongue nor in her mind, but still lit something warm and good aflame in her heart). Grinning, she asked, “Did you not eat anything tonight?”

Yang rubbed at her wrist. “I was so focused on picking my sister up and meeting up with you that I kinda forgot. All I’ve had tonight is an energy drink - didn’t want to fall asleep on you.”

Maybe she should’ve eaten something before coming here, but hindsight was twenty-twenty or however that saying went. Yang made a strange, squawking noise when Blake grabbed her hand and started tugging her further down the path.

“C’mon, I know a hot dog stand that’s open late. What do you think? My treat.”

Yang let herself be dragged along, the promise of food made her stomach grumble even more, excited at the prospect of not being empty anymore. “A hot dog sounds pretty good right about now. But then again you could probably feed me just about anything right now and I wouldn’t complain.”

“Don’t worry, the place is pretty good. I’ve been there a few times before.”

It was sweet how Blake tried to reassure her, as though Yang was actually worried that Blake would try to feed her poison or something. She huffed. “I’ll trust your judgment, since you don’t seem like the kind of person that would put up with crappy food.”

Blake grinned, puffing up a bit with pride. “Damn straight.”

The phrasing brought a wide grin to Yang’s face, even though she desperately tried to stop it. “If you’re straight then I’ve got some bad news for you--”

Yang grunted, more in surprise than in pain, when Blake’s knuckles dug hard into her ribs.

“Shush you.”

Yang laughed, clutching Blake’s hand in hers and sighing audibly in relief when the hotdog stand came into view. Situated across the street from a nightclub with bright neon signage, Yang could see why it open so late. The guy must’ve got a lot of business from drunk patrons wandering out when they went home or got cut off. It also made Yang wonder how Blake knew about it, considering it’s location.

Any inquiries on that matter were forgotten as the smell permeated her senses, making her stomach groan and her mouth water. From Blake’s throat there was a small noise of amusement as she pulled Yang ahead at a faster pace than before. “C’mon, let’s get that monster fed.”

The man working at the stand had a friendly disposition - a genuine smile, a soft accent, and he knew Blake by name. The hotdogs were greasy, quarter-pound monstrosities, grilled to perfection and topped with chilli and cheese. Yang was pretty sure she was drooling, mouth agape with want, before she even got her hands on it. Blake got one, too, as well as two beers.

(“I don’t usually offer them this late, since most of my clientele has had enough already, but I thought you might be interested.”)

They ended up sitting on the curb down the street, watching drunkards tumble out of the night club. A couple of drunk dudes leered at them as they passed by, but Blake paid them no mind. Yang simply scoffed and dug into her chilli dog with more ferocity than intended.

"I don’t see how guys find this sexy," she said, mouth half-full. She took a swig of beer to help wash it all down. "A chilli dog is like the least sexy thing you could ever eat. It gets everywhere."

As if on cue, Blake lurched forward with a soft noise of distress, fingers carefully scraping at her chin as some of the chilli spilled out of the bun and on to the pavement below, narrowly missing her coat thanks only to her quick reflexes. Yang chortled, amusement dancing in her eyes as she drank more of her beer and watched Blake lick her fingers clean. Blake caught her watching from the corner of her gaze and blushed. With a full mouth, she muttered, “Shut up.”

Yang grinned. “I didn’t say a damn thing.”

They finished off the rest of their meal in silence and started walking again, slowly polishing off their beers.

“Okay, I’m curious. How did you know about that place?” Yang asked. She held on to her empty beer bottle, having nowhere to dispose of it at the moment and not wanting to just pitch it in the bush like some irresponsible asshat.

Blake smiled against the lip of her bottle, hands wiping away the sweat building on the dark glass. “Sometimes I work late at the shop and I stop by on my way home.”

Yang eyed her girlfriend carefully. (The word girlfriend still made delightful flutters in her heart.) “You know, you never did tell me where you work.”

“I work a little shop called Inkstains,” Blake said, the corners of her mouth upturned in a secretive smile.

“Sounds like a bookstore.”

“Trust me, it’s definitely not a bookstore.”

It was one thing that Yang simultaneously loved and hated about Blake - she loved to give roundabout answers, loved to divert conversations, loved to spin things around and toy with the words of others for fun. “But if it’s not a bookstore, then what is it?”

Blake bit at her lip, utterly failing at hiding her mischievous grin. She hummed, pretending to think about her next words, even though her eyes clearly told Yang that she knew exactly what she was going to say. “I don’t think I should tell you, and if I recall correctly, you haven’t told me where you work, either.”

She was trying to bait Yang, trying to drag Yang down into the ring with her, but Yang was smarter than that - she knew Blake would utterly trample her at this sort of verbal spar. So she just ponied up and hoped it would encourage Blake to do the same. “Qrow’s autoshop,” she answered readily. “I’m a mechanic.”

Blake seemed stunned by Yang’s direct answer and finished off the rest of her beer, unable to meet Yang’s gaze.

“So, are you actually going to tell me what your job is, or are you just gonna do that thing you do where you don’t give any straight answers.” It was only after the words came out that Yang realize she’d said too much, and the smirk that lit up Blake’s face only confirmed that.

“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you wearing a jacket.”

Now Blake was just playing with her, knowing that she knew that she was being played with. It was the first time she’d worn a jacket, though, so it wasn’t like Blake was lying.

Yang let the comment roll around in her head for a bit before she thought of an appropriate response. If Blake wanted to play games, well, Yang could do it, too. “What, miss the sight of my beautiful guns already?”

That got a blush and an eyeroll.

“It’s a little unfair if you ask me,” Yang continued. “You’re complaining about not being able to see my guns when I’ve never seen yours. You’re always wearing a jacket or sleeves.”

That had a very different effect. Blake’s eyes twinkled, as if she was laughing at a joke Yang was not yet privy to. “I could take my jacket off if you want,” she said. “But I’m afraid the sleeves don’t come off as easily.”

Yang watched as Blake unbuttoned her coat and shrugged it off, confused by her words but entranced by her actions. Blake was wearing a short-sleeve shirt underneath, but the snarky comment that rested on Yang’s tongue died when her eyes dragged over the bared skin. The dim lights caught the twisting, intricate lines and patterns, inked in black and white on Blake’s dark skin.

Blake’s comment made sense now.

“Wow,” Yang breathed, still in disbelief. She reached for Blake’s wrist but stopped herself, recoiling her hand. “Can I touch them?”

Blake tied her coat around her waist, the lithe muscles in forearms flexing in a way that made Yang’s mouth go dry. Blake wasn’t anywhere near as muscular as Yang was, but the definition she had was to die for. She held out an arm, slicking back her hair with her other hand, teeth bared in almost predatory smile. “Go for it.”

The hand that grasped her wrist held with a delicate grip. Yang’s exploration was incredibly tender, calloused fingers tracing over the skin with a featherlight touch. Blake was glad that her arms weren’t ticklish or she’d be in trouble right about now. The tip of Yang’s thumb traced over the dip of her elbow and made her shiver, gooseflesh racing up her arm.

Her reaction didn’t go unnoticed and Yang looked up at her with concern. “Getting cold?”

No, but she wasn’t about to tell Yang that. Blake felt her face glow and hoped Yang couldn’t see. “Yeah,” she breathed. “A little bit.”

“Put your coat back on.”

“You don’t want to finish looking?”

“I’d rather you didn’t freeze.” A teasing grin spread across Yang’s face as she held Blake’s gaze. “And you say that as I’m not going to have another chance to look.”

The implication was clear as day, and Blake slid her coat back on, reaching up to adjust her scarf and untuck her hair even though it was too short to get caught under the collar, before buttoning up the front. “If you keep this up, you might not,” she grumbled, a bit more harshly than she intended.

Yang still laughed it off, though, and soundly clapped her shoulder with enough force to make her stagger before she was pulled against Yang’s side again, that same arm now firmly wrapped around her waist. Blake rested her head on the blonde’s shoulder with a sigh of exasperation, letting her own arm snake around Yang’s waist. The idea to slip her hand into the back pocket of Yang’s jeans sat in her mind, but she decided against it. They hadn’t quite reached that point yet, had they?

“So, what now?”

Blake hummed in thought. “Well, it is getting cold out, but I’m not so sure I want to part ways yet. What do you suggest?”

“Unless you have somewhere indoors we can go,” Yang murmured, blood pounding in her ears and heat suddenly coiling in her gut. “I’m out of options.”

“We can’t go back to the apartment. Sun’s sleeping and he has to work the opening shift tomorrow.”

“And we can’t go back to my place for basically the same reason.”

Blake seemed to consider something. “Did you still want to see where I work?”

The implication of the conversation made Blake’s question confusing. She wasn’t implying that they…? No, she couldn’t be, could she? Yang swallowed thickly, taking in Blake’s sultry grin. She was. “...Is that allowed? Won’t you get in trouble with your boss or something?”

Blake’s grin only got bigger. She stepped closer, fingers sliding up the back of Yang’s hand, under the sleeve of her jacket and stroking the bared skin. “Didn’t I tell you? I am the boss.”

Cold fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled. Despite the soft skin she had a strong grip. Much stronger than Yang expected, even though this wasn’t the first time she’d felt Blake’s grip (and hopefully it was far from the last time she’d feel it).

They slowed in front of a small storefront. Glass windows, curtained on the inside with long, black drapes. Yang read the gold lettering, scrawled in decorative cursive, on the front door with a bewildered tone. “Inkstains: Tattoo Parlour?” She twisted in Blake’s grip to face her. “You run a tattoo shop?”

Blake didn’t answer, just tugged her around the side of the building, down a narrow alley. “C’mon, we’ll go in around back.”

Yang had to wonder if this was a good idea as Blake led them into almost total darkness, had to wonder if she should be more nervous about her location instead of hot under the collar at the thought that she was about to get handsy with Blake in her place of work - the whole thing screamed fantasy makeout session in her head. Jingling keys echoed down the damp back road as Blake fumbled for a moment, trying to line up the right key with the lock. Yang pressed up against her back, impatient and emboldened by the darkness, nuzzling the side of her neck. Blake found the right key and unlocked the door, pushing it open and surging inside to input a code into the keypad of the security panel, Yang still at her back.

The door shut by itself and Yang found herself pressed up against it when Blake twisted in her hold and shoved her back.

It was a wonder that Yang was able to form words with the way her brain fell apart at the feeling of Blake’s cold lips on her throat. “Careful,” she warned with a choked laugh, feeling Blake’s hands wander up high under jacket. “We still haven’t had that dinner date, yet.”

Blake let out a breathy laugh, puffs of air hitting the damp skin on Yang’s neck and making her shiver. “I can think of a few other places to touch, if that’s okay with you?”

Hands slid down Blake’s waist, around her hips, cupped her ass and squeezed. Yang grinned, all teeth and breathless laughter. “It’s okay with me,” she said. “More than okay, in fact.”


	3. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward encounters apparently run in the family.

Blake winced as the wind slammed the door shut much louder than intended. The brief gust that swept in with them ruffled a few book covers and the fake leaves of a decorative plant before dispersing into the warm interior. Dozens of people milled about inside, taking shelter from the windstorm outside and passing the time in the bookstore and its adjoining coffee shop.

Feeling less than social, Blake shut off their music player but kept their earbuds in, hoping it would deter any “friendly” strangers from approaching. Tukson, the owner who Blake had gotten to know over the years (and even tattooed a few times), spotted them from behind the front counter and gave a friendly wave. They returned the gesture awkwardly before adjusting their tuque and heading towards the back of the shop.

Expertly navigating their usual path to the sci-fi section, Blake stepped around teens and children who were sprawled out in the narrow hallways to read, left unattended by parents who spoke too loudly in the coffee shop. They sighed in relief when they reached their destination without any hassle, and only a handful of suspicious glances. There was one other person in the sci-fi section, but she didn’t spare Blake anything more than a passing glance. Blake in turn paid the young woman no mind and shuffled toward the shelves, eyes scanning the titles. They just needed to find one book and then they could go home, back to where it was warm and substantially less crowded.

There - that was the book they were looking for.

Two hands collided just shy of the book’s spine and Blake flinched, stepping back. They hoped that this accidentally touching strangers thing wasn’t going to become a recurring theme in their life.

“Sorry! Sorry,” the young woman said, hands fluttering nervously in the air and through her short hair.

Blake tugged out their earbuds - no use being impolite - and shrugged. “It’s alright. It could’ve been worse.”

They recalled with some humour their initial meeting with Yang. The outcome of which certainly gave the memory a pleasant twist, but Blake really didn’t want a repeat performance of that event. Ever.

The young woman laughed, radiant grin dimpling her cheeks in a way that looked disturbingly familiar to Blake. “Don’t I know it,” she said. “My sister bumped into someone here a while back and it was a bit more embarrassing than touching hands, if you know what I mean.”

More embarrassing than touching hands? Blake’s eyebrows shot up in curiosity at the same their cheeks heated in embarrassment, the emotions that had been present months ago when they’d first brushed against Yang suddenly flooding back. At least they weren’t the only one to have an embarrassing encounter here. “Wait - sister?”

“...Yeah,” the young woman said, brows furrowing in confusion. “She bumped into someone here a while ago and it sounded like it was pretty embarrassing for both parties. But they’re dating now so I guess it’ll be an interesting to tell and-and…” She trailed off and Blake could see comprehension dawning on her face, staring at them with wide eyes. “And you’re Blake.”

Blake rubbed at the back of their neck, anxious and amused all at once. How did this stuff keep happening to them? “I’m Blake,” they confirmed. “And you must be Ruby.”

They were prepared for a jaw drop, for a stammering confirmation, for a hand offered in greeting. But they were not prepared for what Ruby actually did: squeal loudly and squeeze them in a hug that felt like it was being given by two steel bars. Yeah, she was definitely Yang’s sister.

Blake squawked in surprise, feeling a bit short of breath, and awkwardly patted Ruby on the back. Hugs certainly weren’t a bad thing, but Blake preferred a little more warning beforehand (and a little less crushed ribs).

“Yang said you came here a lot, but it never occurred to me that we’d run into each other like this!” Ruby said as she mercifully let go of Blake and stepped back, beaming.

“Yeah…” They shoved their hands in their pockets, still reeling from the unexpected embrace. “It never occurred to me, either.”

Even though Yang had only been in the bookstore that day to pick up something for Ruby, hadn’t she?

“Um,” Ruby rocked on the balls of her feet, hands twisting together. “Did you want to get a coffee or something? I mean, only if you want to and have the time, y’know. It’s just… I’ve been wanting to meet the infamous Blake for weeks now. Hope that’s not weird.”

“It’s not weird,” Blake replied, plucking the book they wanted from the shelf. They had planned on a quick trip, since they were expected home with takeout soon, but Sun’s stomach could wait a little while longer for this. “And sure, let’s get coffee. As soon as I get this book.”


End file.
